Jumpin' July

Our blog has suffered from a busy month of summer fun. Let me catch you up on what our family has been doing in July.

The month started with a visit from our friend Joe Coker, his son Layton, and his new wife Amy and stepson Conner. It was so fun to have them here, to celebrate the Fourth of July with them (a nearly annual tradition), and to honor them with a small dinner gathering of our Carson-Newman friends. They are moving at the end of the summer to Texas, where Joe will begin teaching at Baylor University. We're so excited for them!

Soon after their visit, the boys and I headed to Nashville for a few days with my sister, Beth, and her husband, Barry. You can see photos of the highlight of the trip below: rock climbing at an indoor climbing center. The boys were just amazing, as they both climbed with determination and focus for several hours. We also enjoyed a very hot day at the Nashville Zoo.

We returned from Nashville to welcome our dear friends, the Teichmillers, for a few days at our home. Jinda, Will, Sara, and Jack's visit was great fun, as the boys LOVE playing together, and I enjoyed the "girl time" with Jinda and Sara. Thanks to them, I was able to see the American Girl movie, which my boys would never have agreed to!

The next week Seth and Reed attended soccer camp at Christian Academy of Knoxville. The boys will be attending school there starting this fall, so we were excited to have them on campus and connecting with other kids who attend CAK (hopefully minimized their anxiety a bit). They had a good time and were real troopers spending four hours in the hot July sun each day.

Ahhhh...isn't July over yet? Not hardly. After soccer camp, the boys headed to Chattanooga for their annual visit with Tim's mom, Ann. They spend nearly a week with her every summer, and they love it! Chuck E. Cheese, the aquarium, movies, and time with their cousins ... it's no wonder we have to detox them after such a week!

Yet, they have gone from a busy week in Chattanooga to a busy one at home, as our church is having our version of vacation Bible school this week -- Kamp Kidstuf. Each night from 6-9, the boys are participating in the "Danger Zone" track of KK: dodgeball, zip line, marshmallow guns, a mud pit, slip 'n slide, and more! They, along with about 170 other kids, are gathering at Providence each night for lots of fun in the various tracks but more importantly to learn about God and His amazing love. It's such a great week!

So the month comes to a close. It has been a memorable and meaningful one, full of friends and family! Now, we're so thankful to have another week and a half of summer break left. We intend to savor every minute until the new school year begins!